Surgery a week away

Seems like a researched and consulted forever but once we decided on the doctor the time's going super fast. My formerly size 22 body needs everything done but I'm starting with an LBL and a BL/BA. Love the doctor. My husband met her for the first time too and agreed she's a good fit for me.

I've worked my way through a huge list of questions and conerns with the doctor. Now I'm just down to the questions that are best asked during marking. Want to discuss the final plan for the b's (scar type and technique). Also want to determine if we ought to do some lipo now - my thighs will need it before my thigh lift and I'm really worried about my love handles.

The hardest thing has been choosing my implant size. I started out wanting something smaller than what my husband wanted. I slowly was won over to a larger size (provided I don't look like I need a stripper pole). Turns out my base width is pretty narrow so I'll need high profile. Went in  to try on sizers twice and then wore rice sizers around at work today (kinda funny, everyone weighed in with their opinions). Finally settled on 400ccs and am hoping for a 34D result (I'm 5'6" and 135). Who knows, it's so hard to tell what they'll look like. The doctor's advice is to pick something and then just let it go. Hopefully that'll work, just glad to have the decision behind me.

I've got my garments and pre and post op vitamins. My mom (a retired nurse) is going to take care of me for the first few days. Got my prescriptions. I should be ready.

I've scoured the board for advice but I'm always open to more. If you have any comments on how to prepare, post-op ideas -- anything -- I'm all ears (or eyes as the case may be)
Britt

Oh yay!! That's terribly exciting!! Can I ask who you finally decided on? I know how exhaustive your search has been, and I'll be back on the market for a PS to do my arms next year (I don't think I'm going to stay with my current one, he's technically skilled but has NOT been supportive of me emotionally throughout my huge mess of complications, I think he has mentally checked out and crossed me off his list). I still have your post about your plastic surgery consults saved and plan on using it in my next search.

I think you'll be happy with the larger size. It's called 'booby greed' and you will experience it no matter how large you end up going. Do you know your exact breast width diameter? Mine was 15cm (whoppers!) so I ended up with 480ccs moderate profile, the smallest my PS would go. I could have gone bigger. He told me to go bigger. But I said no. I think I'd have been happy with 550ccs, in retrospect. But I'm still happy with mine now. I'd be unhappy if they were smaller, I'll tell you that. Are you big in the hips? If you have bigger or wider hips, it's nice to have a bigger rack to balance things out. Are you going silicone or saline? Overs or unders?

That's hilarious that you got your coworkers' opinions!! They'll look smaller once they're in you, I don't think you'll regret going bigger.

I don't know how you usually like to drink your fluids, but I found that plain water really was unpalatable after my surgeries. It actually made me more nauseous. I found these "true lemon" flavor packs (they're pure lemon, but they have other flavors also) and added 1/4 a pack to a large waterbottle, it added just enough flavor to make me able to drink. That's another thing, get a large plastic waterbottle that has a STRAW. A long thick straw. It was so much easier for me to drink from straws. And I didn't have to refill it as often because it was big. But straws were really great.

If you're gonna be sleeping in a recliner, you might wanna get one of those soft airplaine neck pillows, or a memory foam neck support pillow. I found that a fullsize pillow put my neck at too extreme of an angle when I was sleeping in my recliner. My airplane pillow was a lifesaver.

I took docusate sodium 3x/day as a stool softener. It's not a laxative and won't mess up your digestive system. It helped me a lot. It won't help you to go more often if you're on narcotics, but it'll help keep things from forming hard boulders in your bowel. I used milk of magnesia (half the usual dose) when I actually needed a laxative to get things started. It was less crampy than laxative tea or other stuff I've tried.

I'm sure you've got a toilet seat raiser (mine was super cheap off amazon.com). And 100% cotton tank tops to wear under your abdominal binder (those men's ones that come in multipacks are great).

Ummm what else, what else. You're just as obsessive-compulsive about research as I am, so I have no doubt that you've got 99% of your bases covered. There are always a few things you don't foresee. But you've got help.

The things I ended up needing that I had to have someone get for me were:

-small sharp scissors (sewing scissors), to cut through the tape around my drains every day when I changed my dressings. Regular scissors were too big.
-bacitracin ointment for my bellybutton. I just plain forgot I'd need it.
-unscented hypoallergenic thick moisturizer. My skin around my incisions and on my vajayjay and stomach got DRY and very delicate, it has torn when I've taken the tape off. All I had was fancy scented lotions. So I got some high quality stuff and it has really helped.
-pillcrusher. My abdomen swelled up and compressed my little stomach so I was having trouble swallowing my large-ish vitamins. I did ask for liquid antibiotics this time around, which was a good idea, because antibiotic pills tend to be HUGE. They would've been a problem for me like they were last time.
-good detangler conditioner. My hair is falling out once again :( I'm trying to hang on to as much as I can.
-microwave heating pad, for my lower back. It hurts being hunched over all the time!
-hand mirror, so I could look at myself from all angles and get around the bulges and swelling to check on stitches, etc. I wanted to see everything without pulling the skin around too much.
-gingersnaps. It was like a weird pseudo pregnancy craving. Had to have them. Who knows why!

I'll keep thinking and keep you updated if I think of anything else. You're gonna do great!!

So excited for you.. OMG.. my surgery is the end of December.. I am only getting an extended TT with a lateral thigh lift (saddlebags). Next year, I will do the BL with implants..

I wear a 36 D myself right now but its all skin.. I am like you letting the PS make the actual size decision.

I wish you all the luck and healing.. happy to hear your mom is supporting you..

Michelle